05 · 31 · 19

Golden Age of Mexican Cinema film program will arrive to the British Film Institute

The British Film Institute (BFI) will screen the film program Salon Mexico: The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema from July 2 to 31, which is dedicated to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. This program was made by the BFI with the support of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), the Cineteca Nacional, the UNAM Film Library, the Televisa Foundation and the Embassy of Mexico in the United Kingdom.

"Lasting roughly three and a half decades, Mexican cinema´s Golden Age was a period of prolific and sustained production (an average of 24 made per year in the 1930 to an extraordinary 107 by the ´50s) that saw the development of a robust industry model based in Mexico City; one that included large studios, a star system, and a pool of talented directors and crew. Not only was Mexico the epicentre of cinematic production in Latin America, but films made during the period also garnered significant international recognition, as well as enjoying box office success at home", wrote Chloë Roddick, FICM programmer, for Sight & Sound magazine.

The program Salon Mexico: The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema includes Victims of Sin (1951), Salon Mexico (1949), Maclovia (1948) and Enamorada (1946), by Emilio Fernández; Macario (1960), In the Palm of Your Hand (1951) and La otra (1946), by Roberto Gavaldón; Another Dawn (1943) and Twilight (1945), by Julio Bracho; The Woman of the Port (1934), by Arcady Boytler and Raphael J. Sevilla; Tho Monks (1934), by Juan Bustillo Oro, and Aventurera (1950), by Alberto Gout.

"Mexican cinema dazzled between the 1930s and the 50s, with each new year bringing classic films from directors such as Emilio Fernández, Julio Bracho and Roberto Gavaldón; films that ranged from epic tales of revolution to uniquely Mexican takes on Gothic horror, and from lurid noirs every bit as hardbitten as those made in Hollywood to Mexican cabareteras – a genre that fused music, dance and melodrama to thrilling effect. Lighting up the screen, and captivating audiences across Latin America, were luminous figures such as María Félix, Dolores del Río, Pédro Armendáriz and Ninón Sevilla – stars who were immortalised through the breathtaking cinematography of masters like Gabriel Figueroa", wrote James Bell, features editor in Sight & Sound magazine and BFI.